Session IV: Two Huskers Earn All-America Honors

Des Moines, Iowa – Robert Kokesh (174) fell in his semifinal match and James Green (157) clinched All-America honors at the NCAA Championships on Friday.

Kokesh and Green become Nebraska’s 92nd and 93rd All-Americans. In the team standings, the Huskers are in 15th place with 31.5 points. Penn State leads overall with 114.5 points.

No. 4-seed Kokesh trailed No. 1-seed Chris Perry of Oklahoma State 1-0 heading to the third period, but a reversal gave Kokesh a 2-1 lead before Perry’s escape. The lights at Wells Fargo Arena partially went out as the grapplers headed to overtime in a 2-2 tie. Perry took down the Husker sophomore in the extra period for a 4-2 victory.

Kokesh will face No. 3-seed Mike Evans of Iowa in the consolation semifinals on Saturday, with the winner battling for third place. Kokesh lost their meeting earlier this season in a 9-6 decision on Feb. 10 in Iowa City, Iowa. He is 36-4 in 2012-13.

Green, the No. 4-seed, avenged a loss from earlier this season to No. 8-seed Dylan Alton in the wrestleback bracket by a 14-4 major decision. With the win, the Husker sophomore earned back-to-back All-America honors. Last season he finished seventh as a true freshman.

Green didn’t fare as well in his second match of the session, falling by pin to No. 12-seed Jedd Moore of Virginia at 6:15. Green is set to wrestle No. 5-seed James Fleming of Clarion in the seventh-place match on Saturday morning.

Josh Ihnen (184) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each fell one win short of All-America status. Ihnen, the eighth seed, lost a 5-2 decision to No. 6-seed Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa in the wrestleback bracket. Ihnen, an Iowa native, finishes his season with a 27-8 record and ends his Nebraska career with a 100-41 mark. Sueflohn, the No. 9-seed, fell by a 5-3 decision to Minnesota’s Dylan Ness, the No. 6-seed.

Session V begins Saturday on ESPNU with the wrestleback semifinals and third through eighth place medal rounds at 10 a.m. Session VI’s championship finals start at 7 p.m., and will be on ESPN.